Mahama Ayariga warns politicians against interfering in criminal investigations

Outgoing Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga has warned politicians against using Parliament to intimidate law enforcement agencies or interfere with criminal investigations.

Mr Ayariga said political office should not put anyone above the law, arguing that Parliament's responsibility to pass laws must be matched by respect for the institutions responsible for enforcing them.

“Crime is crime. We believe that we pass laws in this House so that they will be enforced outside there,” he told MPs on Monday, August 24.

He said attempts by politicians to portray law enforcement actions as political could undermine efforts to tackle crime.

Mr Ayariga urged MPs to allow investigators to perform their duties without using parliamentary proceedings to discredit or intimidate them.

He also criticised what he described as a double standard in the treatment of alleged criminal offences involving ordinary citizens and politicians.

People accused of stealing relatively small amounts, he said, can face prosecution, while politicians accused of offences involving millions of cedis sometimes object when investigations are launched against them.

He argued that politicians should not consider themselves a privileged group that is exempt from prosecution.

Call for respect for judiciary

Mr Ayariga also called on Parliament to respect the independence of the judiciary and avoid commenting on or interfering with judicial decisions.

His remarks followed concerns surrounding a judge's decision to cancel a legal vacation to allow a case involving an accused person to be heard more quickly.

The decision had prompted concerns over whether judicial proceedings were being expedited inappropriately.

Mr Ayariga took a different view, saying an accused person who was confident of their innocence should welcome the opportunity for their case to be determined without unnecessary delay.

He maintained that Parliament should allow both the judiciary and law enforcement agencies to carry out their constitutional responsibilities independently.

Political accountability

The comments come as Parliament debates the boundaries between political oversight and the independence of institutions responsible for investigating and prosecuting alleged wrongdoing.

Mr Ayariga's argument is that parliamentary scrutiny should not become a means of obstructing criminal investigations or influencing judicial proceedings.